The invention relates to a packaging for cut flowers comprising: a rectangular crate with sloping side walls which are provided close to their top walls with a channel that projects outwards and is open at the top, the base of which channel serves to support a foldable rectangular protective tube.
Packaging of this type is known in practice and is essentially described in EP-B 0 311 174.
The purpose of the rectangular tube is to protect those parts of cut flowers placed in the crate which extend above the crate during transport and during presentation at auction or when put up for sale at wholesale markets. A plastic cover is placed on the tube, which cover can be removed in order to assess the quality of the flowers. After the packaging, including tube and cover, has been transported, following auctioning or sale, to a shop or any place in the world, the rectangular tube is removed, the cut flowers fanning out in the crate and not having to be transferred to a bucket.
If the empty crates are nested deeply into one another in order, for example, to be returned to the sender, the inner flange of the channel of a lower crate, which channel is open at the top, could bind on the outer surface of the sloping crate walls of a higher crate, with the result that separating a stack of crates nested in one another presents problems. The aim is so to improve the packaging mentioned in the preamble that the crates can be nested deeply into one another without the risk of binding.
To this end the packaging mentioned in the preamble is characterised in that a shoulder extends between the top edge of the sloping side walls of the crate and the base or the bottom end of the inner flange of the said channel open at the top.
The said shoulder can serve as a support for a rectangular presentation collar. This is important in particular in the case of somewhat longer cut flowers (for example roses with a stem length of 1 meter). After removing the said protective tube the flowers can fan out far beyond the top edge of the crate. The rectangular presentation collar counteract this.
Said presentation collar is shorter than the protective tube, so that the top part of the flower stems with flowers extends well above the top edge of the presentation collar. The presentation collar preferably consists of a foldable tube made of plastic and said collar can be provided with openings and printed with advertising.
Preferably, ribs are arranged on the said shoulder to reinforce the inner flange of the channel open at the top. In this case cut-outs or recesses are arranged in the bottom edge of the presentation collar to allow passage of said ribs.
After having been removed at an angle from the top of the crate, the foldable rectangular protective tube can be utilized to support the crate. To this end he under surface of the base of the channel open at the top can form the base surface of a channel open at the bottom, which is intended to form a seating channel for the top edge of the protective tube if the crate is inserted from above into a rectangular protective tube. The protective tube can have printing with advertising copy or the like.
Usually the crate is provided with hand grip openings in two side faces located opposite one another. In order to anchor the presentation collar, a strip projecting outwards can have been fixed to the bottom edge of each of two opposing walls of said collar, which strip extends through a hand grip opening and engages on the top edge thereof
The packaging also comprises a cover that fits on the protective tube. On its top surface the cover is provided with ribs, on which a crate stacked on top can bear in such a way that a ventilation gap is produced between the top surface of the cover and the bottom surface of a crate stacked on top. Said ventilation gap is beneficial for the quality of the packed flowers.
Positioning ridges for lateral positioning of a crate stacked on the cover are preferably arranged on the top surface of the cover, which ridges project above the ribs and are nestable in the case of covers stacked on top of one another. As a result of the nestable ridges, covers stacked on top of one another take up little height when being returned to the sender.